Perfect spots for your picnic in and around Metro Vancouver

Chef Jean-Francis Quaglia, owner of Provence Marinaside, shows off one of the gourmet picnic baskets available at his restaruant . Quaglia loves renting a boat at Horseshoe Bay for a picnic at sea or docking at Bowen Island.GLENN BAGLO
/ PROVINCE

Summer’s just around the bend and with such short-lived sunny weather in Metro Vancouver, it’s time to wander outside. To help us kick off picnic season, we followed two chefs and two travel experts to unearth some of the best picnic spots in and around Metro Vancouver. So grab those picnic blankets, it’s time to gather, eat and doze off under the sun.

Make-Out Point, Queen Elizabeth Park

This west-facing picnic spot near the top of Queen Elizabeth Park is known as “make-out point” by locals. Chef Robin Kort, who runs culinary events and touring company Swallow Tail Tours, loves this spot for its privacy and gorgeous sunsets.

“It’s all trees, that’s why I like it. It’s a little bit private, not a lot of people go to it, you can take your bike up there and find a spot to yourself usually,” says Kort.

To find it, head to the top of Queen Elizabeth Park where you get a view of the city with a circular path that loops down into the garden. Follow that path west and just off of it is a bench surrounded by trees.Clothing’s optional at

Tower Beach

Tower Beach, which is just next door to Vancouver’s better known nudie hangout, Wreck Beach at the University of British Columbia. Kort (who opts for a bathing suit) is a fan of city picnic spots that feel miles away. This one fits the bill with its pebble shoreline marked by two Second World War gun emplacements. And at the right time of the year, “the fishermen will be out there with their nets,” she says.

To reach Tower Beach, take Trail 3 (located east of the Museum of Anthropology) which will take you to the foot of the gun towers. The beach is also accessible by Trail 4 on the north side of the MOA.

For a map, visit the Wreck Beach Preservation Society website at wreckbeach.org/maps.html

North Shore rivers

For those who want to go gourmet, yes, that’s possible, too. Kort organizes wild edible tours of the North Shore in which a guide points out the edible plants in our own backyard (no picking, though — that’s not allowed in B.C. parks). The wander through the woods is capped with a fine dining meal by the river, complete with table linens and a bounteous table of wild food.

“It’s like fine dining in the wilds,” says Kort. “We serve wild food, so we do wild mushroom pâté and fiddleheads, wild leeks and we make just a beautiful picnic right by the river.”

For more information, visit swallowtail.ca/trips

Spanish Banks

Travel expert and mother of two Claire Newell says her kids love to picnic at Vancouver’s Spanish Banks. Not only are the gentle roll of waves relaxing to nod off to, if you need to escape intense mid-day sun, just walk across the road to Pacific Spirit Park.

“It’s such an easy one to do, especially if you live close to Vancouver,” says the founder of travelbestbets.com.

“You have the beach but across the road you can go into Pacific Spirit Park so you can actually do the picnic in there and sit on some of the trees that have fallen.”

Shannon Falls

Dining by the tumbling waters of Shannon Falls is another one of Newell’s favourite picnic spots.

“You can do it on a trip to Whistler, maybe to break up the drive. But getting to see the waterfall, and there’s lots of picnic tables there, it’s just a really beautiful spot and getting there is half the beauty. The Sea-to-Sky Highway is so pretty in the summer,” says Newell.

Shannon Falls, which has an adjacent park, is located off of Highway 99, 58 km north of Vancouver and 2 km south of Squamish. To reserve a group picnic spot, visit env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/shannon

Boating from Horseshoe Bay

Jean-Francis Quaglia, chef/owner of Provence Marinaside and Provence Mediterranean Grill, makes it easy to picnic in the city. The French chef, who grew up in Marseille, offers gourmet picnic baskets filled with antipasti, tapenades, cheeses and desserts from his Yaletown or west side restaurants.

“People just come and pick it up [from Provence Marinaside] and then they don’t have to walk far. They just can go around the seawall on a piece of grass and just have a picnic and when they’re done, drop it off,” he says.

But for something a little more special, Quaglia suggests heading to Horseshoe Bay and renting a boat for a picnic at sea or stopping at one of the nearby islands, such as Bowen which has a picture-perfect park right by the harbour.

“The freedom on the ocean and seeing the wildlife that we have around Vancouver, and going to Bowen, where I have a friend. Yeah, I really love it,” says Quaglia.

Speed boats can be rented at Sewell’s Marina in Horseshoe Bay. For more info, visitsewellsmarina.comBuntzen Lake, with its glassy waters ringed by a deep green forest, draws crowds on summer days. Still, this lake just north of

Buntzen Lake

Port Moody is so picturesque that John Lee, a Vancouver-based travel writer and author of 14 Lonely Planet guide books, says the effort to come early and snag a spot is well worth it.

“I’m a huge fan of Buntzen Lake, but you have to arrive early on summer days to get a good picnic spot near the beach — especially when the kids are out of school. It’s my favourite spot because your heart rate instantly drops to deck chair-napping levels as soon as soon as you arrive,” he says.

Third Beach, Stanley Park

And, of course, how could we forget Stanley Park? Well, we didn’t. But take Lee’s advice and come in the evening.

“It’s hard to beat Third Beach in Stanley Park — but only in the evening. During the day it’s always packed, but after 6 p.m. people drift off and you can pull up a log, unroll some treats and catch a pyrotechnic sunset in peace,” he says.

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